Experts of the World Bank and various experienced planners from abroad stated that land readjustment is one of the solutions to help Vietnam improve urban infrastructure and increase the value of its land, during a symposium held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on May 29.

Vietnam has reaped socio-economic achievements accompanied by fast urbanisation during the process of realising reform and international integration policies, said a representative from the Urban Development Agency under the Ministry of Construction.

By last December, the country had reached an urbanisation rate of 33.47 percent with 770 urban areas, the official noted.

The annual contribution made by urban areas is very important to the country’s GDP growth, adding momentum to the national economic development.

Participants agreed that there has not been much investment poured into expanding urban areas in Vietnam because most of the funding comes from the State budget and official development assistance (ODA), adding that the community’s involvement in discussing urban development measures is still low.

Meanwhile, many countries around the world have successfully implemented public-private partnerships (PPP) in urban development, they added.

Foreign experts suggested initiatives to help Vietnam prevent rampant urbanisation in suburban areas and heighten the effectiveness of funds for infrastructure development.-VNA